Improved mode of boring artesian wells



ALExANDER HAMAR, oE NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED MODE OF BORING ARTESIAN WELLS'.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. tlll, dated April 24, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I ALEXANDER HAMAR, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tools for Boring Artesian Wells, of which the following` is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, and in which- Figure l represents a section of a well containing my improved boring-tool. Fig. 2 represen ts a similar view ofthe same, showing the drill enlarging the bore. Fig. 3 represents asimilar view, showing my secondary drills. Fig. t is a section through the drillstock, showing the mode of hinging the expanding cutters. Fig. 5 shows the details of the prif mary cutters, and Fig. 6 side and edge views of the secondary cutters.

It is the object of myinvention to bore a hole ofa diameter greater than that of the drill or cutters; and to this end theimprovementherein claimed consists, first, in hinging a pair of drills or cutters to the drill-stock in such manner as to permit their cutting-edges freely to -diverge from each other, and so forming such cuttin g-ed ges that the concussion of the downward stroke will cause them to diverge, and thus to enlarge the diameter ot' the bore, while on the upward stroke their own gravity will cause them to approach each other and resume their position in line with the drill-stock; second, in combining, in a boring-tool, a perforated drill-stock having two hinged and grooved expanding cutters with a guide-rod passing through the drill-stock, and provided at bottom with a conical expanding block; third, in constructing the expanding cutters so as to allow them free play on their pivots, and so curving their upper ends and the cavity of the drill-stock in which they play that the imy pact of the drill will cause the cutters so to bear against each other and against the cavity ofthe drill-stock as while expanding the cutters to relieve the pivots from the strain of the concussion and throw it upon the drillstock and cutters.

In the accompanying drawings, which exemplify one Inode of carrying out the objects ot' my invention, A represents the bore of the well. To the drill B a stock, C, is connected in any suitable manner. The cutters D are pivoted in a slot, c, in the stock by means of slots d, which are large enough to permit them to play loosely on their/pins or pivots c.

By reference to Fig. 4L otl the drawings it will be seen that the top of the slotc is arched, forming, as it were, the arc of a circle of large diameter, while the 'upper ends ofthe cutters are curved, so as to form arcs of circles of small diameter. A groove, d', is likewise formed on the inner side of each'cutter. (See Fig. 5.) Sharp cutting-edges d2 are formed on the outer edges of the cutter and at the bottom; but the inner bottom edges are rounded, as shown in the drawings, to aid the glancing stroke.

rlhe drill and stock are perforated axially to receive a guide-rod, E, havingon its lower end a conical plug, F, which l prefer to form ot steel or other hard metal. p

The operation is as follows: We will suppose, for instance, an oil-well to have been bored to the proper distance, in any of the well-known ways, and that it is desired to form an enlarged chamber at the bottom of the well to expose a greater area ot` the vein, or to form a reservoirfor pumping. Now, in order to form this chamber I let my improved boring-tool down into the well, as shown in Fig. l, and commence drilling, by alternately lifting and droppingthe drill in the usualway. The coneplug F, however, remains on the bottom of the well,while the drill slides freely on the guiderod. The guide-rod E and conc Fare more for the purpose of keeping the drill accurately in the center of the hole than for expanding the drill, forif the cone were on one side the cutters and dril1,in their descent, would graze against the side ofthe well to which they were nearest, and thus shove the cone toward the center. The rounded edges of the cutters cause them to glance outward,so that, after a few strokes, they assume the position shown in Fig. 2, where, it will be seen, they do not touch the cone F.

When the drill strikes,the sockets d permit the cutters to slide on their pivots until they strike each other and the arch of the slot c, when they roll upon each other, as the curve of the arch tends to force them inward, and thus to expand the cutters. rlhis rolling contact materially diminishes the friction which would be caused by the simple sliding contact of the two surfaces. Fig. 4 shows this mode of op eratiomand from it it will be seen that the expansion is entirely independent of the guidecone F.

When the cutting has progressed as far as shown in Fig. 2, I remove the cutters D and guide-cone and insert longer ones, G, Fig. 3,

which travel in the paths previously out, and` continue to cut diverging bores until the required depth is obtained.

To form an enlarged chamber I rst drill two diverging holes, Fig. l, leaving a cone, W, in the center, as shown in Fig. 3. Through this cone I drill, in the ordinary way, a short distance, and then bore two more diverging holes, Y,Fig. l. This process may be repeated as often as required. rIhe result is to leave a series of divergin g holes separated by ledges or shelves U. These may be broken away by the use of a torpedo. The dbris caused by its explosion will fall to the bottom and leave the chamber clear.

scribed my name.

ALEXANDER HAMAR.

Witnesses:

EDM. F. BROWN, J. 1. PEYToN. 

